Pigs
The monthly sale of all classes of pigs had a bumper entry of 119 forward, consisting of 10 Prime Pigs, which were short supply, 4 cast sows and boars, 15 Store pigs and tremendous 90 weaners.
Prime pigs met a strong demand with a 114kg Prime Hogs selling to £175 from PK & R Woof, Storth End Farm, this was closely followed by JR Corlet, Skiddaw View selling 98kg pigs to £135. All prime pigs forward sold to a market average of 118p/kg, more are required at the next sale to fulfil Christmas requirements.
Cast pigs saw sows and boars sell to £70 from AF Mather of Lower Broadwood. Store pigs sold to a top of £80 for well grown black gilts from H Craghill of Redbrow Farm. The bumper entry of weaners were met by strong demand and a large clientele, topping the trade was D & R Cornthwaite of Lockerbie, selling to £45. Good white weaners, gilts and hogs, sold around the £40 mark with boars harder to place, selling around the £20 mark.
Prime Lambs
A larger entry of Prime Lambs forward today, sold to a continued strong trade. Once again, all types of export lambs were in strong demand, selling to a top of 235p/kg or £92 from JG & PH Thompson, Poppy Farm, with 39kg lambs.
Beltex lambs topped at £99.50 for 44kg lambs from ST Birkett & Son, Hall Croft Barn, this was closely followed by £99 for heavy Beltex lambs from AR & BJ Thompson, Poppy Farm. All Beltex lambs forward sold to a market average of 202p/kg. Heavy weight lambs continue to sell well at J36, with 56kg Suffolks selling to £92 from ST Birkett & Son and D Metcalfe, Crooklands Brow. Plenty of heavy weight lambs selling the mid to late eighties. It was good to have more hill bred lambs on the market today with heavy weight Mules from F & SA Edmondson, Netherhouses Farm selling to £83. Mules from TE, JS & SA Carruthers, Red Scar sold to £77, with, in general, mid forty kilo Mules selling to the early seventies.
Cast Sheep
The cast sheep trade remained similar this week, with cast rams topping the market at £118 for Charollais’ from the Denney Family of Johnscales Farm and Texel tups topped at £116 from David Thompson of Overmere. Best Continental and Texel ewes sold in excess of £100, topping at £112 for A & B Fell, Hodgsons Green Farm. Mule ewes sold to a top of £72 from DM & D Cook of Smithy Green and best Mule ewes sold in the region of £70. Horned Ewes saw Rough Fells sell to a top of £56 from J & PR Woof of Dent, with Swaledale Ewes topping at £42 from TW & C Shepherd of Nook Farm.